New York state will begin sending more than 1 million families checks for up to $330 per child beginning next week, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday.
The checks will be mailed automatically to families who already qualified for at least $100 from the Empire State Child Credit program on their 2023 taxes, serving as a one-time supplement to that benefit. The program is generally available to families where a single filer or head of household earns $75,000 or less per year, or where married couples filing jointly earn $110,000 or less per year.
For these checks, families will receive between 25% and 100% of the amount they previously received through the tax credit, on a sliding scale based on their income.
“With this check, this is how parents will be able to cover the cost of back-to-school supplies,” Hochul said in the state Capitol’s Red Room. “That’s why I’m so proud of this. No other governor, and the other state Legislature in the history of this great state has distributed this much direct financial assistance.”
The state will spend about $350 million on the checks.
Last year, the state expanded the Empire State Child Credit to apply to children under 4 years old, adding approximately 600,000 children to the program each year, according to Hochul’s statement. Democrats have promoted the expansion as a way to help families pay for food, clothing and child care.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins joined Hochul in her announcement.
“This is real money and as the governor says, the timing of this right before school starts,” Hastie said, “it’s an acknowledgement to the people of the state of New York that we hear you.”
Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt, who said he was unaware of the announcement, said the governor should cut state spending to put more money in the pockets of New Yorkers.
“Putting money back in the hands of families is a positive thing — but instead of the governor doling out one-time, self-serving checks,” he said by email.
